Groups express concern about coal ash bill

An excavator works beside a mound of ash at the pond at Santee Cooper's Jefferies power generating station just outside Moncks Corner, S.C., on Feb. 26, 2014. The recycled coal ash is trucked from the site and then used in the manufacture of concrete. Santee Cooper is South Carolina's state-owned electric and water utility. (AP Photo/Bruce Smith)

By The Associated Press

Published: Friday, July 25, 2014 at 12:08 PM.

The Southern Environmental Law Center and other groups sent a letter Friday to Senate Leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Thom Tillis outlining serious concerns with coal ash legislation in a conference committee.

They say Duke Energy would continue to contaminate public water by leaving coal ash in unlined pits.

The groups say the legislation runs counter to the promise lawmakers made to protect the environment after a Feb. 2 massive coal ash spill at a Duke plant coated more than 70 miles of the Dan River in toxic waste.

The conference committee is trying to work out a compromise between House and Senate versions of the bill.

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The Southern Environmental Law Center and other groups sent a letter Friday to Senate Leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Thom Tillis outlining serious concerns with coal ash legislation in a conference committee.

They say Duke Energy would continue to contaminate public water by leaving coal ash in unlined pits.

The groups say the legislation runs counter to the promise lawmakers made to protect the environment after a Feb. 2 massive coal ash spill at a Duke plant coated more than 70 miles of the Dan River in toxic waste.

The conference committee is trying to work out a compromise between House and Senate versions of the bill.